League News

FIXTURE SECRETARY JOHN PALMER'S REPORT TO THIS WEEK'S APRIL EXECUTIVE MEETING – please note registrations cut off date of THIS IS TOMORROW . . . Good evening everybody. Quite a lot has happened since the March meeting. Sadly, as I’m sure you’re all aware, Hadley United Services Club has folded losing us a team from division 1 but their division 5 team …

The action may have started in two divisions but tonight – Tuesday 7th April – is effectively the League's seasonal launch meeting. And BCGBA Handbooks, scorecards and captains' books ordered should be collected at this meeting – which is open to all club officials and team captains, especially new ones for the 2026 campaign. Notice for the April 2026 Executive Committee Meeting …

The first League honour of the 2026 season has already been won – and now the first fixtures of the season are just 2 sleeps away! Action starts in the popular Afternoon Division on Thursday 2nd April with reigning champions Donnington Wood at home to Bowring A as 11 teams set out in pursuit of the 6-a-side title. Then in the evening …

The opening League fixtures of 2026 are still a week away, but the first Mid Shropshire title goes on the line tonight – Thursday 26th March. It’s the Thursday Night Merit with eight qualifiers, including husband and wife Stuart and Jackie Rutter, heading to St Georges to contest the finals on the club's bottom green from 7pm. Neither of the past winners …

As most of you will probably have seen by now, the 2026 MSBL fixtures went LIVE this morning. Grateful thanks go to John Palmer who has to deal with a number of issues, including the withdrawals of Worfield and Highley and then the end of bowling and folding of Hadley USC and the formation of a new club – Hadley BC – …

Hadley United Services Bowling Club have had to fold as a club but are reforming as Hadley Bowling Club and playing at Charlton Bowling Club. Hadley secretary Rob Burroughs emailed the league to say “I am writing to inform you that Hadley USBC has now folded with immediate effect due to no one to cut the green and lack of support financially and morally …

Please find a summary of the March Executive Meeting on Tuesday: New Chairman Chris Hayward took the meeting for the first time. The Friday Divisions are currently 13-12-12 but this may change due to one or two teams possibly withdrawing. Bowring C and Sir John Bayley C have entered new teams but Worfield have withdrawn and Horsehay A re-entering after relegation from …

The League is to lose 2 long-serving clubs for the 2026 season. Delegates at the March executive meeting on Tuesday the 3rd will hear that Worfield have pulled out of Friday division 3 while fellow south Shropshire side Highley have quit the Monday divisions, both citing lack of enough players to continue. But the good news to be confirmed at the key …

There’s just 1 week to go for clubs to apply to field new teams or withdraw them from any of the divisions run by the League. The deadline to let fixture secretary John Palmer know (copying in general secretary Malcolm Fletcher please!) is 48 hours before the March executive meeting – which is on Tuesday the 3rd at SJBC (7.30pm). So that …

Please find some of the Individual Competition dates for the 2026 season, with most of these now confirmed. The Thursday Night Merit could move if there are less than 12 or more than 14 teams in the league as the league would have spare Thursdays to use for the Merit. If there are 13 or 14 teams then the dates below will …

The League’s clubs have been urged not to miss a ‘Big’ chance to help grow the sport this coming summer – by signing up to an expanded Big Bowls promotion.   “The 2026 Commonwealth Games will see bowls take centre stage at one of the biggest sporting events of the summer – giving our sport a real golden opportunity to grow,” said a spokesperson …

GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT TO THE 2026 AGM I am not going to pretend that 2025 was the easiest of seasons. It was dogged by several niggling behaviour issues which we are determined to get a grip on this year – starting with a special pre-season meeting to ram home our Code of Conduct and rules to all clubs and especially their team …

FIXTURE SECRETARY JOHN PALMER'S REPORT TO THE 2026 AGM As far as I was concerned, 2025 all went pretty well with much better weather than the previous year. Hardly any matches were rained off. Congratulations to all the clubs that did well and commiserations to those not so fortunate (including first time champions Sinclair seen celebrating at the League's annual dinner in …

It’s been another successful season of competitions for the league, with four new competitions being all successful and hopefully these can be built on for this coming season. The Under 25 Merit proved to be another difficult year, with the competition having to be moved back a week due to lack of entries. It took place at Maddocks with 6 entries and …

Chairman’s opening address to the 2026 AGM: Good evening, Ladies & Gentlemen, Well time flies when you’re having fun and to be honest, even through some of the tough times during my 14 years as chairman, there has not been a time where I felt that we were out of our depth. And this is mainly due to the management and executive …

There’s a new man at the rudder of the League after Chris Hayward (pictured) was elected chairman at the 2026 AGM. The Allscott Heath BC chairman succeeds Sean Round, the Bowring stalwart bringing the curtain down on his 14-year reign in the post with a poignant speech that ended with a round of applause of gratitude. “I think Sean has done a …

The 14-year reign of Sean Round as Mid Shropshire chairman will end at the League’s AGM tomorrow – Tuesday 27th January – at the Sir John Bayley Club (7.30m start). The Bowring club stalwart’s last act will be to take delegates of the 28 member clubs through four sets of rule change proposals before vacating the lead role. “I think he has …

Just over a week to go to the League’s 2026 AGM and the 28 member clubs have now received the rule change proposals, the 2025 accounts and the treasurer’s report to explain the figures. An officers meeting last week covered a lot of ground, including consideration of the BCGBA’s draft league constitution for compatibility with the existing rules.   So they hope …

Now that the snow is disappearing and greens are clearing, it’s time for the League’s officers to step up preparations for the 2026 season. They will hold a meeting this week to finalise plans for the AGM on Tuesday 27th January at the Bayley Club (7.30pm). The issues they’ll be discussing will include posts that are vacant, the 2025 accounts and the …

The League champions of 2023 and runners-up last year, NEWPORT, set the 2026 round of club annual meetings in motion on Friday 9th January at 7 p.m. Then a week later, on Friday 16th January, 3 more clubs get in on the act. Reigning champions SINCLAIR have their AGM at 7.30pm and it’s the same start time for TRENCH, But MUCH WENLOCK’S …